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SEATAC—Seattle/Tacoma International airport (SEATAC), Washington State’s largest airport, is just one of 40 airports nationally to receive a 10% reduction in flights this Friday, November 7, amid the ongoing government shutdown.

The announcement came on Wednesday, November 5, by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy who cited air traffic control safety concerns as the reason. Wednesday was also when the government shutdown hit a record-breaking 36 days marking it the longest in U.S. history. The previous record for longest government shutdown (35 days) was held in 2018 during President Trump’s first term.

“We are assessing the risk in the airspace. Delays and cancellations will be based on which controllers are coming to work,” said Duffy. “Reducing 10% of flight volume will reduce the pressure on controllers, while prioritizing safety, and getting more flights out on time.”

Since Democrats and Republicans shutdown the government on October 1, unable to agree on funding for 2026, roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents have been working without pay. Both TSA agents and air traffic controllers are considered “essential workers” during a shutdown while many other federal positions are placed on furlough.

The 10% reduction in flights comes at a time when air traffic controllers are already in short supply, the FAA said, with flights having already been impacted since the beginning of October. Many air traffic controllers, who are working six days a week with mandatory overtime, have resorted to calling out of work or taking second jobs impacting airports nationwide with delays and cancellations.

On Friday, October 10, nearly 3,700 U.S. flights were delayed, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford at a news conference Wednesday.

Bedford added that the reductions are necessary to ensure a safe airspace adding that additional measures could be taken in the future if lawmakers can’t come to a compromise.

Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA02), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released the following statement after the Trump administration announced that it will cancel thousands of flights:

“The women and men who climb into air traffic control towers to keep the flying public safe had their jobs become even more stressful last week when they missed their first full paycheck.

“Now, shutting down parts of our National Airspace System (NAS) is a dramatic and unprecedented step that demands more transparency.

“The FAA must immediately share any safety risk assessment and related data that this decision is predicated on with Congress. If we want to resolve issues in the NAS, let us fix health care, open government and pay air traffic controllers.”

According to Port of Seattle data, SEATAC sees an average of 1,158 to 1,300 flights per day. The airport could see a reduction in flights as soon as this Friday though the reductions are to roll out progressively – with a 4% reduction Friday, 5% Saturday, 6% Sunday, and 10% by next week.

The 10% reductions could impact up to 4,000 flights daily across the country.

Many airliners have been scrambling to make adjustments to their flights in just 36 hours, answering non-stop customer service calls from passengers asking about the status of their upcoming flights.

Airliners are encouraging passengers with scheduled flights to check the status of their trip on their apps and/or websites, which will provide real-time updates.

Some airliners, such as American Airlines, Southwest, and United, plan to provide additional flexibility.

“We expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected, and long-haul international travel will remain as scheduled. As schedule changes are made, we’ll proactively reach out to customers who are impacted,” American Airlines released in a statement. “Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do. To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are cancelled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund, without penalty.”

Full list of airports impacted by flight reductions this Friday

Below is the complete list of airports receiving reductions in flights this Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

– Anchorage International in Alaska

– Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia

-Boston Logan International in Massachusetts,

– Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland,

– Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina,

– Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Ohio,

– Dallas Love Field in Texas,

– Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia,

– Denver International in Colorado,

– Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas,

– Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan,

– Newark Liberty International in New Jersey,

– Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida,

– Honolulu International in Hawaii, Houston Hobby in Texas,

– Washington Dulles International in Virginia,

– George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas,

– Indianapolis International in Indiana,

– John F. Kennedy International in New York,

– LaGuardia Airport in New York,

– Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas,

– Los Angeles International in California,

– Orlando International in Florida,

– Tampa International in Florida,

– Miami International in Florida,

– Chicago Midway International in Illinois,

– Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois,

– Memphis International in Tennessee,

– Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota,

– Oakland International in California,

– Ontario International in California,

– Portland International in Oregon,

– Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania,

– Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona,

– San Diego International in California,

– Louisville International in Kentucky,

– San Francisco International in California,

– Salt Lake City International in Utah,

– Teterboro in New Jersey,

– Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington

Author: Kienan Briscoe